Scientific/Botanical Name:
Genus: Iris
Specie: I.
Variety/Cultivar:
English Name:
Common Name:
Iris
Botanical Family:
Name in Latin: Iridaceae
Name in English: The Iris Family
The Plant
Origin: Europe, the Middle East and northern Africa, Asia and across North America.
Growth Habit: perennial herbs, growing from creeping rhizomes (rhizomatous irises) or, in drier climates, from bulbs (bulbous irises).
Flower: inflorescences are fan-shaped and contain one or more symmetrical six-lobed flowers. These grow on a pedicel or lack a footstalk. The three sepals, which are spreading or droop downwards, are referred to as "falls".
Blooming Period: spring
Leaf: basal sword-shaped leaves growing in dense clumps
Usage:
extensively grown as ornamental plants in home and botanical gardens
Care and Handling
Soil: Iris needs well drained soil
Amount of water: Root rot can result if they are planted in soil that stays too wet
Nutrition: Fertilize lightly about 6 weeks before bloom time.
Special handling: They tolerate drought very well, needing water only during the driest part of the summer.
Special feature/remarks:
takes its name from the Greek word for a rainbow, referring to the wide variety of flower colors found among the many species